And with the riches of his grace. To enrich the humble poor, Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace, Thy welcome shall proclaim; And heaven's eternal arches ring With thy beloved name. The Blessing May Almighty God, protect you, guide you and uphold you in faith. Amen. May Almighty God, lead you ever into the bright glory of God's promise. Amen. May Almighty God, the great I Am, love you, bless you and keep you, now and always; in the name of the Creator, the Saviour, the Holy Spirit. Amen. Philip Doddridge Advent Carol Service 2013 16 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!. Revelation 22:20 1
Introduction to the season of Advent "O Come, O Come Emmanuel!" This familiar hymn reminds the church of the season of Advent, a time marked for remembering the years of preparation and consecration prior to the coming of the Messiah. For many centuries, the Church has identified the beginning of the Christmas celebration with a time of reflection and expectation called Advent. The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival" and, when used in conjunction with Christmas, reminds us of the anticipation and expectation held over hundreds of years by the people of Israel for their Messiah and promised King. For centuries before Christ, Hebrew rabbis taught the Jewish people that Messiah was coming and that the people should be ready to embrace their King when he appeared. They emphasized the need for holy living and obedience to God's law. Today, we mark Advent with wreath - its circle reminds us of God Himself, eternal and endlessly merciful, and of the hope of eternal life. The light of the candles reminds us of the Light of world and the prophetic promise of His coming. The white central candle of the Advent wreath, lighted at Christmas, reminds us of the fulfillment of His first Advent and the pure, humble means by which He came. But we Advent is also a season to affirm the promise of Jesus that just as He came once, He will return to the earth as Sovereign Ruler. At his ascension two angels gave us this promise: "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11). This is, then, not just a lifeless church tradition but a time to remember that Jesus will then be revealed as Sovereign of the Universe - King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and Victor over death, hell and the grave. Paul taught his followers to say, "Maranatha! O Lord, come!" (I Corinthians 16:22). In this Advent season, may we be encouraged, hopeful, and purposeful, looking with passion for the second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and for ever. Amen. O Lord our God, make us watchful and keep us faithful as we await the coming of your Son our Lord; that, when he shall appear, he may not find us sleeping in sin but active in his service and joyful in his praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen from Gathering for Worship 2005 Baptist Union of Great Britain, Canterbury Press Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes, The Saviour promised long! Let every heart prepare a throne And every voice a song. On him the Spirit largely poured, Exerts its sacred fire; Wisdom and might, and zeal, and love, His holy breast inspire. He comes the prisoners to release, In Satan's bondage held; The gates of brass before him burst, The iron fetters yield. He comes, from thickest films of vice To clear the mental ray; And on the eye-balls of the blind To pour celestial day. He comes the broken heart to bind, The bleeding soul to cure; 15
That God may establish among the nations his sceptre of righteousness, That we may seek him in the scriptures and recognise Christ in the breaking of the bread, That God may bind up the broken-hearted, restore the sick and raise up all who have fallen, That the light of God s coming may dawn on all who live in darkness and the shadow of death, That with all the saints in light we may shine forth as lights of the world, A Traditional New Zealand version of the prayer Jesus taught his friends Eternal God, Earth-maker, pain-bearer, life-giver, Source of all that is and all that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven: The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! Your heavenly will be done by all created beings! Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. 14 Welcome Said as a single candle is carried in to the church, which is in darkness, and placed at the front. Our God is merciful and tender. He will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us, and to shine from heaven on all those who live in the dark shadow of death, to guide our steps into the path of peace. The leader lights their own candle from the one that was carried in, and passes the light to the congregation, who give the light to each other. As this happens the following hymn is sung. Deep in darkness we begin, dark outside and deep within. Now ignite a single flame, shadows form, let light remain. Flaming brightly, let love shine, flaming out through space and time. As they gleaned the word of life, narrative of love and strife, people through each age have known yet more light: God's glory shown. John the Baptist spoke out loud, challenged that discordant crowd, called each one toward the light, see it growing, gleaming bright. Mary wondered at her lot, blessed? Or cursed? Or loved? Or not? Angels came and glory shone Feel the love, let light shine on Look! a star is shining there See the stable stark and bare. Christmas dawns, all darkness gone! Christ has come, the light shines on! 3 (tune Heathlands) Andrew Pratt Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Introduction I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God who is and who was and who is to come, the sovereign Lord of all He who gives this testimony speaks, Yes I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus Lighting of the first Advent Candle We light this first Advent Candle to remind us of the Advent hope - Jesus is coming again! The Apostle Paul writes: Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. Romans 13:12 Prayer of Confession Merciful God, we confess to you now that we have sinned. We confess the sins that no one knows and the sins that everyone knows: the sins that are a burden to us and the sins that do not bother us because we have got used to them. We confess our sins as a church: we have not loved one another as Christ loved us, and we have not given ourselves in love and service for the world as Christ gave himself for us. Father forgive us. Send your Holy Spirit to us, to give us power to live as, by your mercy, you have called us to live; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. The response to each of the readings will be from the Advent Hymns O come, O come, Emmanuel - the organist will give play the first verse as introduction the first time, after that the introduction will be the first chord. Exodus 24:12,15-end The Lord said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction. 4 Christ, whose glory fills the skies, Christ, the true, the only Light, Sun of Righteousness, arise, Triumph o er the shades of night; Dayspring from on high, be near; Day-star, in my heart appear. Dark and cheerless is the morn Unaccompanied by Thee; Joyless is the day s return Till Thy mercy s beams I see; Till they inward light impart, Glad my eyes, and warm my heart. Visit then this soul of mine, Pierce the gloom of sin and grief; Fill me, Radiancy divine, Scatter all my unbelief; More and more Thyself display, Shining to the perfect day. Prayer O God, to whom we always look, lighten our hearts as the sun throws light upon the dark bushes around us. May we always reflect your radiance So that those who have not known you May see you in us. Amen Intercessions: Watchful at all times, let us pray for strength to stand with confidence before our Maker and Redeemer. That God may bring in his kingdom with justice and mercy, 13
But some, inspired by gospel grace, Saw mercy in Messiah's face. How long, O Lord, how long? And now, at last, in God's good time Shall Mary come to Bethlehem, In great humility to bear The Prince of Peace as David's heir. He came, our Saviour came! These Advent days, with loving care And childlike joy, let us prepare Our waiting churches, hearts and homes, To make him welcome when he comes. He comes, our Saviour comes! Fred Pratt Green 1903-2000 1989 Stainer & Bell Ltd Reading: Luke 12:35-40 Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, And be Thyself our King of Peace. Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel Sermon: The Venerable Christine Wilson, Archdeacon of Chesterfield 12 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. O come, O come, thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai's height in ancient times once gave the law in cloud and majesty and awe. Prayer Come Lord Come down Come in Come among us Come as the wind to move among us Come as the light to prove us Come as the night to rest us Come as the storm to test us Come as the sun to warm us Come as the stillness to calm us Come Lord Come down Come in Come among us Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee. 5 From Tides and Seasons by David Adam
Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art: dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart. Born thy people to deliver, born a child, and yet a king, born to reign in us for ever, now thy gracious kingdom bring. By thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by thine all-sufficient merit raise us to thy glorious throne. Isaiah 7:10-14 6 Charles Wesley Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Advent Collect Almighty God, as your kingdom dawns, turn us from the darkness of sin to the light of holiness, that we may be ready to meet you in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. and close the path to misery. Poem - Advent Calendar He will come like last leaf's fall. One night when the November wind has flayed the trees to bone, and earth wakes choking on the mould, the soft shroud's folding. He will come like frost. One morning when the shrinking earth opens on mist, to find itself arrested in the net of alien, sword-set beauty. He will come like dark. One evening when the bursting red December sun draws up the sheet and penny-masks its eye to yield the star-snowed fields of sky. He will come, will come, will come like crying in the night, like blood, like breaking, as the earth writhes to toss him free. He will come like child. Rowan Williams (The Poems of Rowan Williams, Perpetua Press 2002) How long, the prophets cried, how long Before God puts an end to wrong, Before Messiah sets us free From every yoke and tyranny? How long, O Lord, how long? Vengeance, they knew, belongs to God; Who smites the wicked with his rod: 11 tune St Margaret
(tune Nun Danket) Christ is the world s true light, Its Captain of salvation, The Day-star clear and bright Of every man and nation; New life, new hope awakes, Where er men own his sway; Freedom her bondage breaks, And night is turned to day. In Christ all races meet, Their ancient feuds forgetting, The whole round world complete, From sunrise to its setting: When Christ is throned as Lord, Men shall forsake their fear, To ploughshare bear the sword, To pruning-hook the spear. One Lord, in one great Name Unite us all who own thee; Cast out our pride and shame That hinder to enthrone thee; The world has waited long, Has travailed long in pain; To heal its ancient wrong, Come, Prince of Peace, and reign. George Wallace Briggs Reading: Jeremiah 23:5-6 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: The Lord is our righteousness. O come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home; make safe the way that leads on high, Hail to the Lord's Anointed, great David's greater Son! Hail, in the time appointed, his reign on earth begun! He comes to break oppression, to set the captive free, to take away transgression, and rule in equity. He shall come down like showers upon the fruitful earth; love, joy, and hope, like flowers, spring in his path to birth; before him, on the mountains, shall peace the herald go; and righteousness, in fountains, from hill to valley flow. Kings shall fall down before him, and gold and incense bring; all nations shall adore him, his praise all people sing; to him shall prayer unceasing and daily vows ascend, his kingdom still increasing, a kingdom without end. O'er every foe victorious, he on his throne shall rest; from age to age more glorious, all-blessing and all-blest. the tide of time shall never his covenant remove; his name shall stand for ever, his changeless Name of love. Words: James Montgomery (1771-1854) 10 7
Isaiah 11:1-2, 10 A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan's tyranny; from depths of hell thy people save, and give them victory over the grave. Prayer: O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer. Amen. Longing for light, we wait in darkness. Longing for truth, we turn to you. Make us your own, your holy people, light for the world to see. Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness. Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today. Longing for peace, our world is troubled. Longing for hope, many despair. Your word alone has pow r to save us. Make us your living voice. 8 Longing for food, many are hungry. Longing for water, many still thirst. Make us your bread, broken for others, shared until all are fed. Longing for shelter, many are homeless. Longing for warmth, many are cold. Make us your building, sheltering others, walls made of living stone. Many the gifts, many the people, many the hearts that yearn to belong. Let us be servants to one another, making your kingdom come. Bernadette Farrell 1993 OCP Publications Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here; disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put to flight. Prayer O God we are in great darkness When we heard of Jesus we saw a light far off. Do not let anything put out that light, But lead us nearer to it. Amen 9